chance-medley
noun
Forms chance-medleys chancemedley
- noun (law, historical) The killing of another in self-defence upon a sudden and unpremeditated encounter.
- noun (obsolete) Luck; chance; accident.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Old French chance medlée, literally "mingled chance", with postpositive adjective (often confused because of the fact that medley is also a noun).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The kiling of another in self-defense upon a sudden and unpremeditated encounter. See Chaud-Medley.
- noun Luck; chance; accident. Milton. Cowper.
Etymology [Chance + medley.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “chance-medley”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details